Microsft's goal with the Xbox brand?

[FireGoblin]

Microsoft's most important component in the XBox line of products is the Ethernet port. XBox LIVE is what Microsoft want to get out of the XBOX - the hardware is simply a medium to control how it enters the home.

Normally it would rely on others to build the hardware, but as the content providers (games, music, film companies) do not trust their IP being protected adequately on open architecture PC's (at least until TPM chips and suchlike become more prevalent) it needed to move into the market to prevent Sony et all hogging the cash cow.

Everyone agrees that media distribution is moving online, if Sony get the cell chips embedded into home AV kit - TV's, DVD's, HIFi's - with a PS(x) as a central hub, they will control the home. You also have to look into the HD-DVD/BluRay war, a key (some might say THE key) issue is whether the new generation uses a Java based or iHD (ie MS) subsystem. If the former wins, that means that Sony will start to build up the presense in the 'Operating System' component as well as the hardware, and that is something MS will not stand for

For MS it is a slippery slope that they want to stop now. As SunTzu probably stated "To divide is to conquer", XBox, and HD-DVD, are trojan horses that serve to both make money AND to prevent another company from gaining significant market share with which to challenge MS.

 

[Deepak]

Different books probably have different explanations. I haven't read the whole of Smartbomb, but the excerpt here...
http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1932&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=1
doesn't seem to suggest that view, in the little info there is there. Smartbomb's info seems to suggest the traditional 'MS wanted a living set-top box' and not 'MS wanted to stop PlayStation replacing PCs.'

Interesting!
******

Seamus was so excited he wanted to grab the flight attendant and shake her.

:smile:

 

[Thegameman]

No. You should check out the "inside the Xbox" book for a really good look at the reasons for all things 'Xbox'. Xbox was pretty much a knee jerk reaction to Sony and their PS2. From what I understand Sony wants the Playstation to replace personal computers. MS saw this and created the Xbox to slow down their momentum. The system was thrown together with PC parts in about a year. MS is primarily a software company, they hate having to deal with the hardware. But they did this to hopefully get a foothold in the market and change the course of Sony and the Playstation if they can. Sony with the Playstation and Linux are the only formidable competition to Windows IMO. MS is just protecting their cash cow (Windows).

In fact no Sony never say anything about replacing the PC with the PS2,in fact they say the complete oposite.


These are comments which were inveted,as an escuse on MS part to hop on the multi billion console market,they saw how easy Sony beat Nintendo and Sega,And they see how well the PS sold.


They just wanted a pice of the market just like they did on the PDA market.

 

[Sis]

As for Sony not in it for the money... You guys are kidding, right?

I was joking about Sony operating on altruistic values--they're in it to make money, just like MS.

I do have a lot of respect for Kutaragi's early vision and they're ability to sell millions upon millions of consoles, faster and faster. It's indeed impressive.

.Sis

 

[Magnum PI]

some other company can be happy with 25 % market share, but microsoft objective can only be market domination.

 

[fulcizombie]

Microsoft's most important component in the XBox line of products is the Ethernet port. XBox LIVE is what Microsoft want to get out of the XBOX - the hardware is simply a medium to control how it enters the home.

Normally it would rely on others to build the hardware, but as the content providers (games, music, film companies) do not trust their IP being protected adequately on open architecture PC's (at least until TPM chips and suchlike become more prevalent) it needed to move into the market to prevent Sony et all hogging the cash cow.

Everyone agrees that media distribution is moving online, if Sony get the cell chips embedded into home AV kit - TV's, DVD's, HIFi's - with a PS(x) as a central hub, they will control the home. You also have to look into the HD-DVD/BluRay war, a key (some might say THE key) issue is whether the new generation uses a Java based or iHD (ie MS) subsystem. If the former wins, that means that Sony will start to build up the presense in the 'Operating System' component as well as the hardware, and that is something MS will not stand for

For MS it is a slippery slope that they want to stop now. As SunTzu probably stated "To divide is to conquer", XBox, and HD-DVD, are trojan horses that serve to both make money AND to prevent another company from gaining significant market share with which to challenge MS.

How will sony control the home by having the "cell" into every sony product??Last time i checked the sony consumer electronics division has gone down the toilet,this isn't the eightes you know.Pretty much nobody cares about sony consumer products anymore,they don't sell plasma tvs,their LCDs are shit,their HI-Fis non-existant all they have l;eft is their ,once glorious,brand name and nothing else in the electronics consumer buisness.

 

[pipo]

I do have a lot of respect for Kutaragi's early vision and they're ability to sell millions upon millions of consoles, faster and faster. It's indeed impressive.

True. I also have a lot of respect for Nintendo and MS for various reasons by the way.

 

[patsu]

Of course. But not quite enough. All these talks about branding is also about market positioning. There are many ways to make money as companies try to reach out to the next tier of (casual) gamers today, and what's the most efficient way to dominate based on your strength ? What do you want people to associate your products with, thus influencing their purchase decisions (even without your presence) ?

In practice... If you have a clear grasp where you want to go and you understand your target audience, it's also easier to focus the entire organization and partners on the right (compatible) tasks however minute the nitty-gritty "details" are, and to prune ideas that don't make sense however attractive they may sound in the board room, ... etc. etc.

If done right, it'd become a sweeping force (like iTunes + iPod). Otherwise, it's just piecemeal roll out with inconsistent results and conflicting goals + messages to the public like so many right now.

 

[jpr27]

I think Xbox (and successors) along with games will push more towards the online venture. MS has the assets in place (software, servers, partners etc.) to really play a big role in the online area. I already see huge potential just with the Xbox 360 Live with marketplace etc. Sure we have DVD / Bluray now but in the future with bandwidth increasing in homes, I can see a possability of a Secure online proprietary outlet for media through a home console system from either Sony or MS. (Yeh I know secure isnt really all that secure but you get what I mean )

Similar to things we can accomplish on PC's now, imagine Downloading Music, Games, Tivo functions (already talked about), Streaming Movies (Similar to what hotels offer with current film choices) and possability of other software and game ventures from one source. All from a simple console interface sitting comfortably on your couch? Now I'm not saying all this will happen this generation but I do see that this could be done (Some which Live is doing) in the future. Whichever company can do it at a reasonable cost, Secure, easy to use, and keeps the Videogame system as the main aspect would definately be appealing.

The future of Xbox Live and Sony online venture are just the beginning. I hope to see big things to come (As for Nintendo not sure about their online ventures)

 

[flf]

With regards to history and Sony's importance in legitimizing the console in the TV room:

Estimates from wikipedia, which may or may not be accurate, but are probably in the ballpark...

Atari 2600          25m
Intellivision       3m
NES                 60m
SNES                49m
N64                 32m
PS1                 100m
Saturn              10m
DC                  2.3m
GC                  18.5m
PS2                 100m

Nintendo has sold 100+ million consoles before the PS1 every showed up, and those of us old enough to remember the vernacular of the late 80's and early 90's remember that the term "nintendo" had the same connotation that "playstation" acquired in the mid-90's. I would hear a mother comment that her son was "playing nintendo." Arguably, the importance that Nintendo had in making inroads into the home as a toy for the kids swung open the doors for Sony to capture the market when Nintendo stumbled.

Do not forget that the PS1 was the first affordable console that truly did bring the arcade into the living room... everything before was a low-grade copy of the original. (See Pac-Man for the Atari 2600.)

Sony got some things right... but more than anything they were simply in the right place at the right time with the product that kids wanted. And by "kids" I also mean young guys who grew up in the arcade, with a nintendo at home, and wanted to have a real arcade setup in their living room. (I know a kid who almost dropped several grand on the stand-up big-screen arcade cabinet of Mortal Kombat 2.)

Anyhow... Sony did not revolutionize the console market. They simply tapped out the last couple pins that let the flood loose. If Sony had not created the PS1, then someone else would have filled the niche with a different console.

And, at it's core, it was about the proliferation of games of all sorts. Who remembers the debacle that was Doom on the Nintendo? Nintendo was busy ensuring "quality control" and "family suitability" in it's titles while Sony was shoveling titles out the door as fast as *anyone* could write them. I distinctly remember *several* crap games on the PS1... especially in the fighting genre.

But they had a game for every palate, and Nintedo didn't have the luxury of being the sole console of note any longer.

The rest, you know.

 

[ninzel]

Eliminate hardware competition.Then create a unified OS between PC and console. Go back to making OS only and be a software conduit for all digital content.

 

[Kanyamagufa]

To take over the World.

 

[mckmas8808]

Anyhow... Sony did not revolutionize the console market. They simply tapped out the last couple pins that let the flood loose. If Sony had not created the PS1, then someone else would have filled the niche with a different console.

And, at it's core, it was about the proliferation of games of all sorts. Who remembers the debacle that was Doom on the Nintendo? Nintendo was busy ensuring "quality control" and "family suitability" in it's titles while Sony was shoveling titles out the door as fast as *anyone* could write them. I distinctly remember *several* crap games on the PS1... especially in the fighting genre.

But they had a game for every palate, and Nintedo didn't have the luxury of being the sole console of note any longer.

The rest, you know.

And had Nintendo not made their console someone would have filled that void.

 

[flf]

And had Nintendo not made their console someone would have filled that void.

Very true. When it's the "right time" for a new technology or product to arrive, it will. Examine how many times in history that similar technologies or devices were invented nearly simultaneously by different people around the world... then along comes a Henry Ford and commoditizes the market.

You could posit that Atari was the prime mover here... getting the ball rolling by moving 25 million consoles in the early 80's. But there were precursors there, too... those old home pong games that had no cartridges. (I had one of those, and I envied the atari owners.)

But, yes, Sony has just continued the evolution of the market by taking the lead from Nintendo, where Nintendo took the lead away from Atari. Whether or not Sony continues to dominate doesn't matter, because the home entertainment market will expand rapdily regardless of who does the selling... people are *ready* for it.

And remember that the market is now 25 years old... that's enough time for the people who had Ataris in the 80's to now be 40 years old. The market is expanding because the population who are game players is, itself, expanding.

Fifty years ago, not every home had a television, but every home did have a radio. Twenty years ago, not every home had a computer or console, but every home did have a television. Today, virtually everyone with a modicum of disposable income has a DVD player, or at least a VHS player. In another ten years, I would think that virtually every home would have either a computer or a console (or both) and whatever the "next" technology is would be making inroads.

Whether Sony or Nintendo or Microsoft leads the charge only changes the players... not the continual assimilation of entertainment technology. That will continue unabated regardless.

 

[Cyan]

Google has revealed what are the most popular brands amongst the 13 to 24 years old youngsters, and there is a surprise.

 

[ProspectorPete]

Chrome?? And no Apple. Seems legit!

Dont forget that Kutaragi spends his spare time finding homes for displaced puppies.

Funny that you should mention it; early Cell prototypes used temporal lobes of a dogs brain to simulate certain calculations. Because animal experimentation laws at the time had a weight limit regardless of number of dogs, Kutaragi used (golden retriever) puppies. Needless to say, a puppy cannot function without it's brain fully intact It's disgusting that Kutaragi went this far, but still there is real irony in all of this... Most developers regarded Cell as being a bitch to program for.

If you want to read up on this, check www.wikipedia.com

 

[Cyan]

Chrome?? And no Apple. Seems legit!

dunno in your area..where I live most 13-24 years old are poor students

 

[RancidLunchmeat]

I commend you on your decision to revive a 12 year old thread for this purpose.

Bravo!

 

[Cyan]

I commend you on your decision to revive a 12 year old thread for this purpose.

Bravo!

need to re-read the whole thread to see if someone was right or if someone was a visionary

 

[eastmen]

OREOs are great , they are also vegan so all my vegan friends eat them.... I just bring buffalo wings when we get together cause I know no one will eat them. Sometimes ribs...

Also Makes sense that xbox is popular on that list. Xbox 360 would have been their main console growing up.